aspect

noun

as·​pect ˈa-ˌspekt 

1

a

: a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded

They studied every aspect of the question.

b(1)

: appearance to the eye or mind

the threatening aspect of the dark sky

(2)

: a particular appearance of the face : mien

… all that's best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes.

—Lord Byron

2

a

: the position of planets or stars with respect to one another held by astrologers to influence human affairs

also : the apparent position (such as conjunction) of a body in the solar system with respect to the sun

b

: a position facing a particular direction : exposure

a house with a southern aspect

c

: the manner of presentation of a plane to a fluid through which it is moving or to a current

3

grammar

a

: the nature of the action of a verb as to its beginning, duration, completion, or repetition and without reference to its position in time

b

: a set of inflected (see inflect sense 1) verb forms that indicate aspect

4

archaic : an act of looking : gaze

aspectual

a-ˈspek-chə(-wə)l 

-chü(-ə)l

adjective

Did you know?

Since aspectus in Latin means "looked at", an aspect of something is basically the direction from which it's looked at. So we may say that travel is your favorite aspect of your job, or that eating well is one aspect of a healthy life. If you look at a stage set from the front, it looks completely different than from behind, where all the mechanisms are visible, and both aspects are important. The word can be very useful when you're analyzing something, and it's used a great deal in the writings of scholars.

Synonyms

• angle
• facet
• hand
• phase
• side

Examples of aspect in a Sentence

depending on what aspect of college life you consider most important, there are several colleges which might be good for you

he has the aspect of a man used to giving orders and seeing them obeyed

Recent Examples on the Web

This 1980 musical is set in the distant future of 1994, when record labels have taken over the government and define nearly every aspect of life. —Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2024

Ek didn’t elaborate on what aspects of operations were most affected by the layoffs. —Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin aspectus, from aspicere to look at, from ad- + specere to look — more at spy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing aspect

• aspect ratio

Kids Definition

aspect

noun

as·​pect ˈas-ˌpekt 

1

: a position facing a certain direction : exposure

2

: a certain way in which something appears or may be regarded

studied every aspect of the question

3

: the appearance of something : look

Medical Definition

aspect

noun

as·​pect ˈas-ˌpekt 

1

: the part of an object (as an organ) in a particular position

the medial aspects of the knees

—R. H. Nyquist

2

: a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded

the medicolegal aspects of pregnancy

—Bulletin of Meharry Medical College